Daydreaming is Free
by iloveswacandtangled
Summary: THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SWAC it has Sterling Knight in it, though :) Sterling and Morrgie like each other-but their too different. He's a famous actor-and she's a normal girl. Morrgie's parents have had a car crash and died. Morrgie has all kinds of problems to deal with. Should Sterling risk himself and get into her life? Only rated T because of cutting and abuse :(
1. A Scream and a Nightmare

Chapter 1 A Scream and a Nightmare

STERLING'S POV

_Alright, Sterling, breathe in, breathe out, in, out…_

I'm super nervous right now. Course, I'm always nervous on every morning of school.

Why? Well, I kinda, sorta like this girl in my school named Morrigian (romantic, right?). But she doesn't know-I'm just too shy to talk to her. I'm pretty sure she thinks that we could never be "together" or anything because I'm famous and she's not…but I think we can.

But we are worlds apart.

I slowly look around the all-too-familiar interior of my own personal limousine. If it were up to me, I'd be driving _myself _to school, but my mom _insists _on a private limo.

I look into the built-in mirror on the inside of the car wall, thinking about what to talk about with Morrgie (heh, that's my little behind-her back-nick-name for her)-_if_ I get the guts to talk to her.

You see, she and her parents were in a really bad car wreck last month on the way to my birthday party (yeah…I got brave enough to ask her to that), and her mother and father were killed instantly. I feel _really _bad about it.

Today is her first day back in school since the accident; she's been in the hospital for six and a half weeks with head injuries.

I run a hand through the back of my blonde hair and start to mumble to myself. "Okay, so, I can't talk to her about her parents-obviously-and I can't talk about my birthday party or what happened that day…"

Then, my reflection decides to get a mind of it's own and seems to speak back to me mockingly: "Why don't you just _not _talk to her at all?" I shake my head furiously, watching as my reflection does the same. "No, I _want _to talk to her!" I say back just a little bit too loudly.

"Sir? Do you by any chance need assistance?" asks my driver, Hynrich in his pronounced British accent. He raises an eyebrow.

Crap. I was daydreaming again. I can feel my face redden.

I look back over at the mirror. It conveniently doesn't say anything.

"Uh…no, I'm just-you know-talkin' to my…self," I stutter, my voice cracking.

Man, I hate it when it does that…

Hynrich smiles knowingly. "Girl trouble?" he asks, stopping at a red light. I shrug. "Yeah, something like that. You know that girl, Morrgie? She's coming back today, and I'm scared I'll say the wrong thing," I say, feeling my stomach knot up with anxiety.

"Don't be. Just believe in yourself and you'll be fine," he says with a wink.

I smile back and start to feel a bit better.

Hynrich is like the dad I've never had. My birth father ran off before I was born. The coward…he was too sissy to raise me and left me for my mother to take care of.

I will always hate him for that.

I suppose he thought I'd become a nobody, just like him. Oh, but he's wrong, _so _wrong. I'm gonna be somebody, whether he likes it or not.

"Alright, sir, we're here," Hynrich says, again breaking into my thoughts.

All my nervousness suddenly returns, and I can feel my palms becoming clammy.

Hynrich turns around to face me. "Don't be afraid. Remember what I said. Believe in yourself," he says reassuringly, as if he read my mind.

And this is why he should be my father.

I smile and open the limo door.

Before I walk to the huge school building, I stop by the driver's door. Hynrich rolls down the window, and we bump our fists together, and then pull them back, making them "blow up". This is the traditional hand shake we do before ever day of school.

Then, Hynrich looks up at me. "Go get your girl," he says, punching my arm playfully. I smile and sprint up the school steps.

Our school is HUGE for a private school. A lot of us teen celebrities go to Beverly Hills High as well like, Demi Lovato, Justin Beiber, Selena Gomez, Zac Efron, Taylor Lautner, and Brandon Michael Smith.

Yes, I _am _friends with-well-most of them.

Let me Explain.

Demi, Selena, Zac, and Brandon are really good friends of mine, but Justin Beiber and Taylor Lautner on the other hand, are the school bullies _and _my brutal enemies.

You see, _way _back in first grade (yes, we've been enemies for this long…) they made me cry by taking my crayon and hitting me over the head with it (it sounds hilarious now, I know, but it was a big deal back then). Since then, they've done a few other things just to make me mad and it's turned into this _huge _feud.

Now, as I glide through the BHH's double doors, I straighten the collar of my uniform (honestly, I don't know how _anyone _can look good in that thing!).

As soon as I make my entrance, Selena runs up to me.

"Hey, Sterling!" she says with her radiant smile. "Hey, Selena! How're things in the hall since I left yesterday?" I ask.

My friends and I hang out in "the hall" and ban everybody else from it-especially Justin and Taylor…bleh.

"Perfect! No sightings of Justin or Taylor yet today! Well-that's good for you, I guess, but not for me…," she reports.

Selena and Justin Beiber are dating-against my better judgment. I _really _can't wait until they break up.

I roll my eyes. "Whatever. Keep an eye out for them, though. And tell me when they get here. Oh, by the way-have you seen Morrgie around yet?" I ask, dropping my voice. My cheeks blush shyly. Selena grins. "No, not yet. Have you _finally _gotten enough courage to ask her out?" she quires.

Selena, and my sister, Scarlett are the _only _people I have told about my major crush on Morrgie…and the only people I trust not to tell anyone (Hynrich knows I like somebody-he doesn't know just who).

I shake my head. "No…haven't gotten _that _far yet," I say with a nervous chuckle, blushing more than ever. "I just got up the courage to talk to her again."

Well, okay, I _have _been writing a whole speech-thing for when I _do _ask her out…but I don't think I'll be using it any time soon.

"Okay," Selena says, defeated. "Uh-listen, I have to get to History, see you at lunch?" Selena tells me, picking up her backpack. I smile distractedly. "Yeah. I have to get to Science," I reply, making a face. She giggles, then waves goodbye. I wave back, and then go to my locker.

I unlock it and open the door. I have some pictures of Morrgie (that I got out of previous year books) hidden away in here-but the largest one is taped up on the inside of my locker door.

I search for my Science book. Maybe I'll see Morrgie in Class?

MORRGIE'S POV

I nervously shift my books to my left hip and take a shaky breath. It's been about a month since I've been at school, and I can feel all kinds of eyes on me.

They all know what happened.

Six and a half weeks ago, my parents and I were in a car accident. My mother and father were killed, and I was put in the hospital for a month. I didn't even get to go to their funeral because I was in a coma for two weeks.

I close my eyes, trying to block the memory-but instead I have a flashback.

"_Mom!" I had whined. "Please may I go to Sterling Knight's birthday party?"_

_That was the millionth time I'd asked, I** must **have been wearing her down by then._

_I knew it was immature to whine like a five-year-old when I was seventeen, but I had **really **wanted to go!_

_My mother had sighed, giving in._

_Yes!_

"_Alright, but only if you clean your room."_

_I had squealed, squishing my mom in a hug._

_Thank-you, mom! I will, I promise!"_

My mom. I miss her terribly.

Now, a tear escapes and rolls down my cheek as I hurry to science class. I brush it away and walk in, plopping down in my seat right next to Sterling Knight.

Yeah, I know it's cool that I go to school with a hot celebrity, and that's _totally _the way I feel about it too.

I have a _huge _crush on him. I haven't told a soul-if I did; they'll probably say I'll never have a chance with him. And I know that, but I really like him, and nothing can change that.

Sterling looks up at me with his gorgeous blue eyes as soon as I sit down. My stomach flip-flops and I can feel my cheeks burning.

"Oh, hey, Morrigian!"

I sit, staring at him. In the month that I've been gone, he's just gotten even more beautiful. His hair is so perfect, his bags swept to one side, brushing his eyebrows ever so lightly…

Wait-he _spoke _to me!

In the three years I've been sitting next to him here, he's never said more than a few words to me.

I gulp, my throat suddenly dry. I wave, since the words won't come out.

"How are you?" he asks with a hint of sadness, clicking his pen on the table in front of us.

Oh, great, a question.

The clicking of his pen gets louder and louder, ringing in my ears. Soon, it's the only noise I hear in the room.

"Uh-I-uh…," I stammer.

"Yeah…I understand," he says simply.

I just nod, still unable to answer.

He's about to say something else, but then Mrs. Campbell walks in, and the classroom goes quiet. She takes roll call then says: "Open your books to page 377, kids."

I open my book as directed and catch a glimpse of my pale wrist, which is peeking out from under my grey hoodie. It has cuts and scratches on it that are barely starting to heal. I quickly pull my sleeve down over it and look back down at my book.

MORRGIE'S POV

She's changed. Completely. I can see it in her eyes. I used to be jealous of how happy and outgoing she was, and used to watch her talk and laugh with her friends.

But now-now she's quiet, and doesn't say much. She's lost touch with the Morrgie I've fallen in love with.

I remember when I first saw her. We were twelve and went to the same elementary school. But it never got any farther than a "hey" every now and then.

But I fell in love with her at first sight.

"Mr. Knight, did you hear what I just asked you?" interrupts the stern voice of Mrs. Campbell.

I snap out of it, realizing I'd zoned out. I look at her, clueless.

"Daydreaming again, Sterling?" she asks, looking over her glasses. Brandon and I like to joke about he glasses and call them "fakers" because _everybody _in BHH knows they just have clear glass in them to make her look "important".

I slouch in my seat, nodding lightly. I have a bad habit for daydreaming-especially In class-which is why I have C's in almost everything.

When I'm daydreaming, I feel free. I'm free to do anything.

She grunts and then repeats her question. I hear it this time, but she calls on somebody else.

I sigh and try to pay attention this time.

Just then, the bell rings and relief floods through me. I pop out of my seat and grab my stuff.

I catch Morrgie on the way out. "Hey…you've been gone a long time-I just wanted to ask you if we could hang out sometime…," I offer.

Oh, boy I just did it.

She opens her mouth, and then closes it.

"Um…I don't know. My Aunt and Uncle don't usually let me go out with my friends…," she says quietly.

My smile fades. "Oh-well, maybe not, then," I whisper.

She takes a deep breath, and then says: "Can we talk, though sometime? I can text you or something."

My smile quickly returns. "Yeah, of course! Here's my number."

She gives me her's, then frowns.

"What's wrong?" I ask, worried.

She shrugs, blinking furiously as she looks down at her shoes.

I smirk sadly. "Do you need a hug?" I quire, holding my arms out.

She nods and wraps her arms around my waist gently.

I never knew she smelled so good. Like strawberries and vanilla...

STERLING'S POV

He pulls me close the divine smell of his cologne fills my nose. I wrap my arms tighter around his waist (which is surprisingly slim judging by the way I've seen him eat).

"Beaver! What are you doing on _this _side of the hall?!" I hear Sterling ask through gritted teeth.

Super. Justin Beiber's here, one of the school bullies.

I pull back from Sterling's strong arms and turn around.

I watch Justin "Beaver" as he saunters over to us and leans on the wall.

"I'm not even going to grace that with an answer, Sandmann," he says smoothly.

Sterling cringes at his hated middle name (they've been fighting for so long, _everybody _knows what they call each other) and clenches his fists.

Justin gasps, his gaze falling down to me.

"Morrigain! Are you _crying_? I never thought you were the _soft type_."

I can feel my cheek get hot and the back of my eyes burning with tears as his words sting my heart. I look down at my feet.

Subconsciously, I feel Sterling's arm wrap around my shoulders as he firmly replies: "This would be _none _of your business, Beaver. I'm talking to her right now…go away."

Justin scoffs. "Yeah right, Sandmann. You don't have _anything _in common with her…she's gone through all the "hard stuff" how would you understand her if you haven't gone through anything "hard"?" he asks sarcastically, his eyebrows raised in a questioning manner.

Sterling's face changes from anger, to hurt and sorrow.

"Oh, but I have, Beaver, I have," he whispers, looking away.

I try to think of what he possibly could have gone through. Divorce? Death?

Justin sighs, examining his fingernails. He's obviously bored with the situation. "Well, I see I've succeeded in upsetting you, so I guess I'm off to my next class. See you _losers _later," he says, doing an "L" for loser on his forehead. Then, he continues down the hall.

He's the _real_ loser.

"And stay on _your _side of the hall!" Sterling yells after him. He ignores him and rounds a corner.

I growl inwardly, and Sterling turns to me, clearing his throat. "I'll see you at lunch?" he whispers.

I nod and he turns away.

As he walks away, his footsteps fading as she rounds a corner, I notice that his ocean blue eyes are still sad.

STERLING'S POV

I sigh contentedly, flopping down onto the couch in my room. I'm in my PJ's after my long day at school, getting ready to _Pirates of the Caribbean. _

My mom won't be home for hours yet, so there's no danger of her telling me to turn it off.

Just as the movie starts to play, and I start to shovel giant handfuls of popcorn into mouth, my Blackberry calls: "Tweet, tweet! Tweet, tweet! Text message!" from the side table.

I sigh and glare at it, willing it to walk over to me. I reach over the piles of pillows to grab it, in process overturning the popcorn bowl, it's contents spilling over the couch. I groan loudly.

"Terrific," I mutter.

I look at my phone, a text from Morrgie.

_Hey, Sterling. What's up?-Morrgie _

_Hey! Nm… Just watching pirates of the Caribbean. I spilled the popcorn.-Sterling K._

_Haha! Clumsy aren't we? LoL-Morrgie _

_Yeah…I know-Sterling K._

A long pause.

_Listen, Sterling. Can I talk to you about something tomorrow at school?-Morrgie _

_Of course you can-Sterling K._

_Mkay. See you tomorrow?-Morrgie _

_Yeah Bye-Sterling K._

I sit back, daydreaming for a while. I know she'll be sad for a really long time after the crash because of her parents, but her personality has changed _completely_.

I wonder what she has to talk to me about.

Well, anyhow, I'll know tomorrow. Hopefully…

MORRGIE'S POV

I walk over to my side table and pick up a pill container with the name _Ambien_ on it. I take one out and swallow it with some water.

I can't sleep without those pills. I haven't been able to since the accident.

I fall onto my bed and drift off into a deep sleep.

Now, I start dreaming

_Morrgie, you buckled in?_

_I sigh. I'm not a little girl anymore. I don't know why my father asks me this all the time._

_Yes, dad, of course._

_Good. Because heaven knows what would happen if we crashed and weren't buckled in._

_Ugh, moms._

_We start to drive and dad turns on the radio._

_Justin Beiber's "Baby" starts playing, making me cover my ears._

_EW! Dad! Turn it off!_

_Justin and Taylor Lautner are the bullies of out school, so I have always hated Justin's music because he is such a jerk._

_Instead of turning it off, my parents begin singing along with him-off key._

_I continue to plug my ears._

_With my dad distracted, I guess he doesn't notice that he's swerving into the opposite lane, right into the path of an oncoming car._

_The last things I hear are the screeching of tires, my mother's scream (or is that me?), and a sickening crash._

"AGGGGGHHHH!" Iscream as I wake up. I'm sweating all over and my heart's beating ten times faster than it should.

I sit for a while in total darkness, listening to my rapid breathing.

Then, I break down and cry into my hands.

Why? Why do I have to go through this? I haven't done anything.

"I'm innocent!" I sob.

My hear hurts like someone stabbed me and I'm dying slowly. I want to die.

I look down at my wrist, though it's too dark to see it.

I slowly get up and walk to the bathroom. I flip on the light and cringe at it's brightness.

Reaching down under the sink, I grab a new razor. I sit down and lean against the bathroom wall.

I bring the razor's blade to meet my skin and scrape it sideways across my wrist. I pull it back and blood seeps out from the cut.

A tear rolls down my cheek and splashes onto my wrist, mingling with the blood. I make a cut in my left wrist and another tear mixes with my blood

I stand shakily and hide my razor back under the sink. I look at myself in the mirror and feel tears well up.

"What have I become?" I ask myself in a whisper. "Mom and Dad would have never wanted me to be like this."

I rinse off my wrist and take a deep breath.

It takes me a while to get back to sleep, but this time it's dreamless.

**:) morrige's supposed to be me, BTW-she has some of my problems.**

**But God and Demi are helping me through this.**

**If Demi got through it, so can I.**

**Stay strong, guys!**


	2. Silent Plea

**Hey, You guys! This one was _11 and a half pages_! I couldn't believe it! anyways, hope you enjoy! R&R Please, or I won't continue to give you the chapters :) lol**

Chapter 2 Silent Plea

MORRGIE'S POV

I wake up with a moan. What day is it?

I slowly count up to today in my sleepy head.

Friday. Awesome, the weekend.

I know I should probably be excited like other kids that school's out for a couple days, but I'm not.

The reason is because I'm home all day-alone with my Aunt Sarah and Uncle Spike.

You see, my uncle abuses me, and it's a good opportunity for him to go out and drink, then come back and hit me for no reason at all. He also hits me in the mornings, before I can go anywhere.

Now, I squint at my wrists. They are healing a bit, but I'm still going to have to wear long sleeves today.

I swing my legs over the side of my bed into my waiting slippers and sigh. I get up slowly and walk to my closet. On the way there, I look in the mirror and cringe. My light blonde and blue hair looks like one huge knot and my brown eyes have dark circles beneath them.

My disheveled state gives me a sudden idea. I could give myself a make-over.

I sit down on the carpet in front of my full length mirror and get my make-up out. I dab on foundation, then put on some dark eyeshadow. I sit back and look at my reflection, sucking in a shocked breath.

Next, I move on to mascara, eyeliner, and lipstick. By the time I'm done, I look like a full-blown goth (which,by the way, is the point).

I get up and get out my school uniform. Slipping it on, I glance at my bruises in the mirror. None of the very serious ones aren't visible.

Well, I guess the best I can do is a black hoodie.

When I finish putting that on, and doing my hair, I look at the clock. 6:30. I have to be at school in a few minutes!

On my way out the door my door, I grab a pair of black converse (they don't match, but when was the last time I cared?)

I tip-toe down the stairs, trying not to wake up my uncle.

In the kitchen, I grab a pop-tart and sit down by the door to put my shoes on.

I pot with a small flower planted inside of it sits on the counter. It's perfect except for one, withered petal. It reminds me of myself in a way. I'm okay on the outside, but on the inside, I'm falling apart.

"Leaving early?" I hear a voice say. I Look up and freeze with fear. It's Spike, and he doesn't look very happy.

"N-no-I'm late," I say quietly, my voice quivering.

"Yeah, sure," I hear him mutter under his breath. "Trying to get away from me, I see." He comes closer, his dreaded footsteps thudding closer, and closer...

I stand, ready to run at any cost. I shake my head furiously, although its true. I start to slowly back up as he comes even closer.

"Ah, ah, ah," he croons, shaking his finger in my face. "Don't be in such a hurry, stay a while," he says through clenched teeth.

He puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes it hard. I cringe and he pushes me against the wall, only squeezing me harder.

I feel tears come to my eyes when he whispers in my ear: "I'm gonna beat you so hard, your not going to be able to go to school today".

Then, I feel him give my shoulder one more squeeze, and suffer a snap, then pain course down my arm.

Okay, so maybe you don't understand ho strong this guy is. His arms are the size of both my thighs put together, and he's six-foot-six, which gives him an enormous advantage over my 5' 3 1/2" body with no muscles at all.

I cry out in pain, and he slaps me-hard-across the cheek, yelling "shut up!". Oh, that's gonna leave a mark...

I sink to the floor, cowering under his colossal frame. He hits me again, this time on my busted shoulder, making me whimper.

No more! My heart screams. "Stop, please!" I cry between sobs. He ignores my plea and continues hitting me.

Finally, he stops beating me, and leaves. I sit, trembling, until I feel consciousness slip out of my grasp.

STERLING'S POV I lean against my locker door as I see Brandon and Selena walk in my direction.

"Hey, guys," I greet them with a wave. They wave back with a "hey, Sterling!", then go to their individual lockers.

I'm really waiting for Morrgie, eager to know what she wanted to tell me.

I look down at my phone. It's nearly seven. She should _be _here by now.

"Looking for a special _someone_?" Selena asks, leaning over to me with a knowing smile Brandon, who is behind her, crosses his arms and mirrors her smile. I chuckle and playfully push her away. "Oh, you know..."

"Selena! Why are you hanging out with the _loser_?" comes Beaver's annoying voice. Selena ignores the latter comment, and wraps her arm around his waist, kissing him.

It's extremely sickening, I tell you. I think I'm gonna puke...

"Yeah! What _are_ you doing?" asks Taylor, who's standing behind him.

Beaver turns to him with a commanding frown. "Shut up, stupid," he hisses.

Then, he pokes me in the chest. "Stay away from my girl, Sandmann," he says. I roughly push his hand away, then the bell rings.

All three walk away.

It's really hard when one of your best friends is dating the _enemy_.

I look around once more for morrgie, then turn and walk sadly to my class.

I wonder what happened to her... Is she sick?

I think I'm falling in love...

And that's why I can't focus in class today, I keep daydreaming about her. I know it sounds incrediblycheesy, but it's true.

I need to tell her-to tell her I like her, because the fact is strangling me, squeezing my neck harder and harder, until I can't breathe...

Then, the bell rings again, releasing me from my death. I breath deeply, then stand up and go out to the hall. Thank goodness, it was only a daydream!

I realize that Morrgie still isn't here yet. I come to the conclusion that she was probably abducted by aliens.

Wait, that's stupid, Sterling. What's wrong with you?

I look around the hall, then spot Beaver and Vampire bullying a girl with glasses. I can feel anger rising in my throat as I stomp over to him.

"Leave her alone, Beaver," I say, my hands forming fists at my sides.

Vampire raises his hand. "Ooh, and me!" he says stupidly.

Man, what a dip wad...

I roll my eyes and glare back at Justin.

"This happens to be _none_ of your _business_, Sandmann, so if you'll excuse me-," he snaps, but I cut him off. "Um, yeah it would be, because last time I checked, this is my hall."

Beaver explodes. "Don't mess with my _business_, Sandmann!" he yells, punching me in the gut. It wasn't a bad punch, but enough to make me double over.

I pull my fist back, then hit him hard in the face. He stumbles back, his hand on his nose.

Our principal walks over and breaks it up.

Beaver goes with him to his office, and I hear later that he's suspended from school for a few days (honestly? a few _days_?! What kind of Principal do we _have_?)

Now, as I sit in my limo, my thoughts, once again, turn to Morrgie. I suddenly decide to call her.

I dial her number, which I know by heart (I memorized it in my free time-and I know that sounds _utterly_ stalkish, but... I'm entirely devoted to getting together with her), and listen to it ring while I wait for her to pick up.

"Hello?" comes a weak voice. I barely recognize it, but I know it's Morrgie.

"Hey, Morrgie! It's Sterling-from school-are you okay?" I ask.

She pauses. "Yeah."

"Why weren't you at school today? Are you _sure _your okay? You sound tired."

"I was...sick," she says with a cough. She then changes the subject. "What did I miss at school?"

I raise my eyebrows, then say: "Well, nothing, 'cept I got punched by Beaver."

I hear her gasp at the other end, just imagining her cute expression. I get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it.

"Oh _my_... are you okay?" she demands gently.

I sigh. "Yeah, I guess. I punched him back, and he got a nosebleed and suspended for a few days..."

"Days? A few _days_? Really?" She scoffs. "That's stupid."

"I know! That's what I said!"

There's a small, awkward pause.

"Hey, listen, Sterling...I need to talk to you about-"

I hear a loud masculine voice on the other line, then the dial tone.

What the heck just happened

MORRGIE'S POV

Spike stumbles in-he's been drinking again, I can smell the horrid smell on his clothes, and his eyes are glazed. He smells like he's been drenched in it.

He yells at me, and I jump a mile, dropping my phone somewhere on the floor.

Spike comes toward me and yanks my up off my bed. He looks _really_ angry. Not good at all...

He grabs ne by my broken shoulder and drags me to my closet. I cringe in pain and tears come to my eyes. I bend away from his grip, but he only holds me tighter.

He throws me into the cramped closet and bars it with a chair (there's no lock on it), leaving me in total darkness.

The huge two-hundred-and-seventy pound man curses loudly at me as I sink to the floor, sobbing.

What have I done to deserve this? I'm only seventeen years old.

Tomorrow I _will _talk to Sterling. I'll tell him about _everything_. I have to...Spike is killing me.

I cry myself into a dream-filled sleep.

_"Morrgie! Morrigian, wake up!"_

_I stir and rub my eyes. "Whaaaat?" I moan, squinting up at the person who had called me._

_Holy nuggets! My eyes widen in disbelief as I realize who is standing in front of my eyes._

_I-me...myself...it's __**me**__, only...different. I guess it's like I was__**before **__the accident. The __**past **__me._

_"Are you...me?" I ask, puzzled._

_She nods silently, reaching her hand out to help me up._

_I look to my right, and see a mirror hanging in the wall. I still have my goth make-up and school uniform on._

_The past me is wearing my old clothes, the clothes I was wearing when we had the crash._

_I wince as memories wash over me._

_"You remember, don't you?" she asks me quietly._

_I nod sadly._

_She then leads me to the mirror, and I look at me reflection._

_She continues. "Sterling misses the old you...the person he admired secretly. Please go back to that old Morrgie-before you lose him."_

_I shake my head. "How can I? Not with what I'm going through right now."_

_She puts her hand on my shoulder. "Don't give up on yourself-Spike will kill you, or you could lose Sterling-the most important person in your life right now," she says softly._

_I sigh, giving in. "Your right...but how can I go back to the person I once was-you?"_

_She looks me in the eyes for a long time. "You'll know how when the time comes," she says simply, then starts to walk away._

_"Wait!" I call after her. "Please tell!"_

_She just keeps walking, then mysteriously disappears..._

I wake up breathing hard. I look around me. It's dark, so I'm assuming that it's might time.

I slowly stand up on my aching legs and try the door knob. It creeks open eerily, revealing an equally dark room. Spike must've drank too much to much and didn't block the door properly.

I walk out cautiously and go into the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, I start to feel confused. What had that dream meant?

My mind is whirling with un-answered questions-it's all too overwhelming.

I  
reach down under the sink and feel my fingers wrap around a knife I had hidden under there the other day. Isigh and hold my arm over the sink as I make several cuts up and down my fore arm.

I feel tears come to my eyes s pain constricts my whole limb, from the pain in my shoulder, and my throbbing cuts.

I look back down at the blood on my arm and suddenly realize that the cuts are arranged to say "help me".

I sob and rest my arm on the counter as I wash the blood off.

Then, I go back to my room and crawl into bed. I pop an Ambien and fall asleep.

STERLING'S POV

At five-thirty in the morning, I wake up. It's a little too early to get up, so I just lie here, staring up at the dark ceiling.

Then, I begin to daydream about Morrgie.

Her soft blonde and blue hair, her pleasant brown eyes that make me melt into the floor every time I look at them.

The thing is, she's so clueless. She has _no _idea she's so beautiful-or that her beauty effects me the way it does. She's _perfect_-every _bit _of her.

But she's lost touch with the happy, bubbly person she was before, and it makes me wonder: can I I like (or love) her just as much?

Then, I snap out of my daydream, realizing that my stomach's rumbling loudly. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and look at the calender on the wall.

Praise the Lord, it's Saturday!

Today, there's a party at Brandon's house (his parents are out of town), and Scarlett and I are going.

I hop up and make my way down the long staircase to the kitchen (we have a really big house, so it takes me a little while to get there).

I go to the fridge and dig out a small apple sauce cup.

As I rip the seal off, and start to lick it (couldn't find a spoon...), my younger sister, Scarlett stumbles sleepily in.

"Morning, sunshine," I greet her, continuing to lick my apple sauce. "Good morning," she mumbles back.

She's obviously not a morning person, and normally I'm not either, but today I feel happy for some reason (I think all of us know _what _that reason is-but if you don't, sorry about your face).

"So, what's the plan today?" Scarlett asks, grabbing a box of cereal and a bowl. I shrug, happily licking the remains of my apple sauce out of it's cup.

Scarlett observes me, amused, for a while."Sterling, it's gone," she finally says, putting her hand on my shoulder. I freeze with my tongue still in the cup and smile sheepishly.

"I might ask Morrgie if she wants to come to the party tonight," I say, throwing my empty container away.

Scarlett smiles oddly at me. "So you _finally _got the courage to talk to her again, I see," she says. I look down at my feet. "Yeah...I did," I mumble with a shy smile. "We exchanged numbers, as well."

Scarlett giggles. "Your funny."

I chuckle. "I'm gonna take that as a compliment."

"Its also _really _cute that you like her," Scarlett continues.

"What? Psh! I-I don't like her!" I defend, rolling my eyes.

She narrows her eyes. "Oh, really?"

"Well-maybe just a _little _bit," I admit, averting my gaze. "But you have to promise you won't tell her."

She shrugs, chewing a bite of cereal.

"Promise."

She shakes her head defiantly.

"Promise you won't tell her!" I insist.

"Fine," she moans.

"Say it," I hiss, glaring at her.

She mocks me. "I promise!"

Just then, my fourteen-year-old brother, Spencer skateboards in with his ipod blasting Kelly Clarkson in his ears.

"Good morning," I say, knowing he can't hear me. He proceeds to skateboard out to the dining room. "Good morning, Shuga," I repeat with a smile.

He stops and pulls an ear bud out of his ear. "What?" he asks. I grin. Works every time. "I said 'good morning'."

He rolls his eyes and continues skateboarding.

All of us Knights have...odd...middle names-Spencer Shuga, Samantha Scarlett, and me, Sterling Sandmann. We all hate being called by our middle names (except Scarlett, of course. In her case, it's vice versa. Can't imagine why...). I have _no _idea what my mother was thinking...

Now, I sigh and tell Scarlett that I'm going up to my room to try calling Morrgie.

She gives me that weird smile again. Ugh, sisters.

It seems like I saw her wink at me-but that thought is just too bizarre to comprehend, so I shake my head.

In my room, I pull my iPhone off it's charger and dial and dial Morrgie's memorized number (I really think it's about time I put her on speed-dial!).

Finally, after the fifth ring, I hear a tired "hello?".

"Hey, Morrgie-did I wake you up?" I ask. Oh, snap, I hope I didn't...

"No, your fine." She giggles a little bit, some of her old self shining through. "I'm just laying in bed."

I smile.

"Hey, you helped me find my phone! I lost it yesterday when I was talking to you," she says.

"Your welcome," I say, chuckling. Then, I get to why I called her. "Hey, you wanna come with me to Brandon's casual party tonight? We could-you know-hang out."

I cross my fingers, hoping she'll say yes.

But to my surprise, she doesn't even hesitate. "Sure. I was already thinking about going; I _love _Brandon's parties...but can I meet you there? You don't have to pick me up."

"Okay, cool. Yeah, we can meet there, if that's what you want," I reply.

"Mkay-I'll see you then," She says

We hang up and I open up my closet. Almost immediately, a light pink button-up shirt pops out at me-literally.

"Wear it! Wear it!" I hear a familier voice tell me.

I sigh. "Scarlett!"

The shirt wiggled slightly and the voice hesitates. "I-I'm not Scarlett, I'm...you outfit planner!"

I roll my eyes, holding back a laugh. This is _such _a Scarlett thing to do. "Come out, Outfit Planner," I command gently.

The "outfit planner" steps out, still holding the shirt. "Wear it!" she insists, shoving the shirt at me. I take it and she pulls a pair of jeans out of my dresser. "And these, you'll look irresistible."

I open my mouth to say something, but she tosses three pairs of shoes onto floor in front of me. A pair of converse, and two pairs of loafers.

After looking at each one with the shirt, Scarlett finally decides on the converse.

"You'll look irresistible and _casual_," she mumbles.

She then pushes me into my changing room to try it all on.

When I'm finished, I step out and endure a critical inspection.

Finally, the torture's over and she smiles.

"Perfect. But you'll need a little extra somethin' somethin' for tonight," she says, holding up my favorite cologne. "Put some of this on tonight."

_MORRGIE'S POV

I hang up with Sterling and smile for the first time in weeks. I'm going to a party with _Sterling_! I repeat over and over in my head.

I _have_ to get out of here-soon.

I don't want Sterling to pick me up because I don't want him to see Spike.

I've been trying to avoid Spike lately, but he always seems to find me, no matter _where_ I hide.

I jump out of bed, suddenly feeling energetic.

"Sterling said its gonna be a casual party...," I mumble to myself, opening my closet.

I pull out a light blue spaghetti strap shirt and shake my head. "Too revealing,"

I throw it on the floor behind me, and pull out a cute ruffled top. "Too dressy."

Then, I pull out a dark pink Holister T-shirt, smiling. "This is the one."

I lay it out on my bed, admiring it a little, then walk to my dresser. I go through all my jeans, then come across a light pair of skinnies, with one small hole in the knee.

"Oh, yes," I say, grinning.

I lay that out too and pull out some tan ugg boots that will go perfectly with my shirt. I go to my dresser again and get my favorite perfume out-Be Enchanted. Smiling, I set it down on the bed with my outfit.

This is going to be the best night ever!

STERLING'S POV

I spend the whole day laying around, playing video games, and waiting for it to _finally _be time to go to Brandon's house.

At last, its dark, and time to get ready.

As I'm buttoning my shirt, I start to get a little nervous. What if she decides not to show up? Oh no...I'm starting to sweat.

I pace the room, calming myself down. I stop in front of the mirror and smooth my hair, taking a deep breath.

I spray on my Axe last, then go down stairs to the foyer where Scarlett's waiting.

She smiles approvingly and slips her arm through mine.

The whole familiar way there, I remind myself not to be nervous, just to be cool.

We arrive, and I take a deep breath as Scarlett opens the door and steps out. I get out after her, and immediately am blinded by stupid paparazzi camera flashes.

I sigh, and mentally slap myself for not asking Heinrich to take us to the back.

We make our way to the door as Heinrich parks, and quickly enter before the paparazzi can follow us in.

Its crowded and loud in here, just the way I like it.

"Sterling! You finally made it!" Brandon yells over the loud music. I smile. "Yeah-and what's with the paparazzi out there? They nearly smothered us out there with camera flashes," I say. Brandon rolls his eyes, obviously not amused by the screaming people outside, hungry for gossip. "Ugh, _tell _me about it! They just won't leave...shoulda told you to park in the back, but oh well, your here now." I laugh, then turn to the refreshment table.

"She's not here yet," Scarlett whispers loudly in my ear. I glare at her, knowing that she's only trying to make me worried. Well, its not working, I know she's coming, I convinced myself of that in the limo.

Then, its as if time slows down for me. I hear my name said softly behind me, then I turn around in slow motion, and behold Morrgie. Its as if she's glowing in a radiant light only she can emit.

"Hey," I whisper. Then I clear my throat. Wow, she's flippin' gorgeous! She's the only girl I have _ever _felt nervous around. She always leaves me feeling like a dope every time I look at her.

"Hi, I made it," she says with a short chuckle. An adorable chuckle.

I smile, suddenly the words are all jumbled up in my head, and my legs feel like ice cream. "Y-you look great," I finally get out huskily, glad that I didn't say something stupid.

Come _on_, Sterling! Get a grip!

She smiles happily."Thank you, so do you," she replies.

We stand awkwardly for a few seconds, me afraid to speak, Morrgie _waiting _for me to say something.

Then, I finally break the ice by motioning to the rest of the party. "Let's go join em'," I say with more confidence than I actually have. I put my shaking hand in the small of her back and gently guide her to the dance floor.

We pass a small mirror and I look into it briefly to see if anything's out of place. I look-I guess you could say-perfect. But on the inside, I'm dying for some cold, fresh air.

I pull at my collar, although its not that tight.

We enjoy the party or a little while, then the air just gets too stuffy to bear anymore, and I turn to Morrgie.

"Wanna go out to the balcony for some fresh air? It's really crowded in here," I suggest, hoping she'll agree. Because if she doesn't , I'll just have to fall down and die right here...

She nods. "Yeah, its getting kinda stuffy."

Heck, yes.

I breathe a mental sigh of relief, and lead the way to the big balcony in the back.

Its a little chilly on this early April evening as we stand, gazing out at the city.

"Having fun?" I ask, for lack of anything better to say. She smiles, melting me. "Yes, Brandon throws great parties."

I nod. "That he does, that he does. I've seen you at a couple before," I say quietly, looking back over the balcony.

I keep looking out, but feel eyes on me, so I look back over at her.

Our eyes suddenly meet and I feel myself shifting closer to her. I stare deep into her eyes and softly caress her cheek with the back of my hand. I move my hand to the back of her neck and lean in...

**CLIFF HANGER! I'm happy! lol**


	3. No More

**Okay, after that cliffy, here you go :)**

Chapter 3 No More

MORRGIE'S POV

Before I know what's happening, I feel Sterling's warm, moist lips meet mine.

Woah, what?

It seems like all this is happening too fast-but it feels _so _right.

I subconsciously feel myself relaxing and slipping my arms around his neck. His lips smack softly against mine, and I take a fistful of the back of his shirt in my hand with pleasure.

Then, something hits me.

We're too different, this will never work out; I'll never have a chance with this hot, famous eighteen-year-old.

I pull my lips away, and stare him in the eyes.

"What's wrong?" he whispers, his warm breath hitting my face temptingly.

I step away from him and his eyebrows scrunch together, not understanding what's going on.

"We're too different...your famous, and I'm just a normal girl. yes, I like you-a lot-but this will never work out, I'm sorry," I explain tearfully.

He reaches for my arm as I turn to go out.

"Wait! Your a normal girl that I happen to _really_ like, Morrgie. Just stay...please," he pleads.

"Spare me the grief," I retort, running out.

I have to get home before I break down.

STERLING'S POV

As she slams the door to the balcony in my face, I feel a mixture of anger, disappointment, and the urge to cry churn inside of me. I stand here for a long time, letting the feeling overwhelm me, and my breathing gradually get louder.

Finally, I snap and kick a potted plant hard, moaning to myself: "What did you have to go and kiss her for?".

I know I'd rushed things, but I didn't know she was going to react like that.

I kick the potted plant again, this time knocking it over and shattering it on the concrete.

Then, I hear a timid knock. I look up, silently hoping its Morrgie coming back to reconsider.

But its Scarlett.

She steps in and sighs. "I saw everything," she says gently. I turn away and take a deep breath, composing myself. Knowing Scarlett, she should be yelling at me right now, but she's not, so I'll try my hardest to be rational too.

"I suppose your gonna tell me to go after her, aren't you?" I say, trying not to sound sarcastic. She nods matter-of-factly. "Yep, that's exactly what I was going to tell you."

I sigh. "Well, first of all, I don't even know where she lives-," I start to say. "No problem. Brandon can find that out _easily_," she interrupts.

I give her a look. "...second of all, she's not gonna want me to talk to her, judging by the way she talked to me. And third of all, who said I even _want_ to go after her?" I finish, getting wound up again.

She places her hands on her hips. "Well, you better _start_ wanting to, mister. Charm her, you dope."

"With what? My smile? Scarlett, this is real life, not a movie," I say sarcastically.

She sighs."Your getting on my last nerve, here. Sing! She'll fall for you immediately!"

When she sees my doubtful look, she puts her hand on my arm. "Just try, please. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? She can say n-"

"She could dump freezing cold water on my head," I say.

Well, it _could _happen!

Scarlett gives me an odd look and says: "Just forget about what might happen. Brandon has a guitar you can use, go get it."

I nod and run out. On the way to the limo, Brandon hands me a guitar.

"Thanks, man," I whisper gratefully. He smiles back,and I dart outside, dodging the paparazzi.

"I saw her run out the door to her car, and wondered what happened," Hynrich says as I climb in.

"That's okay, man. Whew! I never thought _kissing_ a girl could cause so much trouble!" I say.

He raises an eyebrow. "You kissed her?"

I grin sheepishly. "Yeah, I sorta rushed things," I admit.

He nods understandingly. "Well, let's go get her," he says, giving me a thumbs up.

I smile, then hear someone clear their throat next to me. I jump and whirl around.

"Brandon?! What the heck are you doing in here?!" I ask loudly. Brandon crosses his arms defiantly. "_Someone _has to tell you where to go. You don't have to yell at me," he retorts.

I mentally slap myself for yelling at him. "Sorry, dud," I apologize, rubbing the back of my neck. "Where do we go?"

When we get to Morrgie's house, Heinrich parks and I grab the guitar.

Brandon starts to get out too, but I lock the door. "Don't even think about it, I'm dealing with this _myself_. Hynrich, make sure he stays in here," I say, climbing out. Brandon makes a pouty face, but remains in the back seat.

I take a deep breath and go to what I hope is her window. I pick up a pebble, and throwing it at the glass, yell her name.

At last, she yanks open the window and fumes: "What do you want, Sterling?!"

I wince. She _is _angry.

"I want to apologize," I yell back up to her, stuffing my free hand in my pocket.

She glares down at me, eying the musical instrument in my hand. "What's the catch?" she asks suspiciously.

"No catch, just listen."

She starts to close the window.

"No, Morrgie! Just hear me out!" I protest. She doesn't say or do anything, so I proceed.

_If I could express_

_What I feel inside_

_I would say that I'm in love with you_

_If you feel the same_

_Why not tell me so?_

_And if we both feel the same way_

_We should be together_

_Show the world that_

_We can be as one_

_Work as a team_

_We are one_

_We are-_

Then, my song is rudely interrupted by _freezing cold _water being splashed on my head.

Boosh, Scarlett! I was right!

I gasp, and stand,stunned for a long time. "What was that for?!" I scream. no answer, and the window's closed.

The _nerve_!

A cold wind blows, making me shiver.

Then, it starts to rain.

Super.

I look up at Morrgie's window one last time, then shuffle sadly back to the limo, as it starts to pour.

"Didn't go well, huh?" says Brandon with amusement.

I sigh, irritated. "Shut up."

As we drive back Brandon's house, I put away my disappointment. So what if she rejects me once? I'm gonna keep trying until she just _can't_ resist me any longer.

I have a whole lot of girl-getting methods, and singing is just _one_ of them.

MORRGIE'S POV

As he sings below me, I get angrier and angrier at him. Why does he have to be _so_ attractive?!

Then, I get an idea. I rush to my side table and grab the large cup of water I used last night to swallow my Ambien. I go back over to the window and carefully aim for the top of his head.

When the water sloshes over his perfect blonde hair, he immediately stops singing.

I close the window, and a moment later, he screams at the top of his lungs: "What was that for?!"

I ignore him and sit down on my bed. I start thinking.

Maybe he really _does_ like me, and doesn't just want to use me as his new one week girl friend for the media to chase-maybe _that's _why he sang.

But we can't. We'll never work.

I pull back my covers, take an Ambien, and switch off the lamp.

I close my once bright, shining eyes and drift off into another troubled sleep.

_I hear someone moving around in my room._

_I stir._

_I hear a whisper, then a word spoken, then my name being screamed in my ear._

_"Morrgie! Morrgie!"_

_I sit up with a start._

_"What?!"_

_Opening my eyes, I find that its the weird other me again._

_"You again?" I ask rudely. I'm never happy when I first wake up._

_Then I realize where I am, and that my head hurts._

_"Why am I in the hospital?" I whisper._

_What happened?_

_"You were in a car wreck, Morrgie," she explains._

_Where are my parents?_

_"Are mom and dad okay?" I ask breathlessly._

_She hesitates then tells me in a hushed whisper: "Their dead."_

_I'm shocked. This __**can't **__be happening. Not to me, somebody else._

_I stare at her for a while, then break down, crying into my hands._

_"Morrgie," I finally hear her say through my sobs._

_I sniff, wiping my nose on the back of my hand, and look up at her._

_"You are left with a choice. You can be depressed and lost about this, or you can find hope in the darkness."_

_I contemplate this a while._

_"I need help getting through this, don't I?" I ask, fresh tears following the old paths_

_"Yes, you do."_

STERLING'S POV

_Flashes of Morrgie's eyes and face._

_Snippets of some big guy's face._

_A puddle of blood._

_Morrgie' screaming: "No More! Please help me!"_

Then, I wake up in a cold sweat and breathing hard. I gaze over at the clock, clutching my chest. I can feel my heart racing inside. 8:30.

I calm down a little, then get up. Walking over to my bathroom, I trip over my ruined guitar. When Morrgie dumped the water on my head last night (plus the rain), it had gotten...well, let's put it simply-a bit wet.

I wash my face, then go down to the kitchen to eat breakfast, where Scarlett meets me again.

"Hey, Sandie," she says sleepily. When did she start calling me _that_?

"Um...Hi," I say back, my voice muffled as I stick my head in the refrigerator.

"How'd it go last night?" she asks.

Honestly, I wish she wouldn't go there.

"Uh-let's just say I got rained on."

She makes a puzzled look, but I wave her off, not wanting to talk about it.

Then, my mom hurries in.

"Hey, mom! You look nice," I say, noticing she's made up, with her hair in a neat bun.

She grabs a coffee mug, then pours some out of its pot.

"Thank-you, Sterling," she says hurriedly, but with a smile. "I have a job interview today-and I'm late."

"Mmmm."

I lean against the counter lightly.

"See you tonight?" I ask, following her to the door.

"Okay, sweetie, love you!" she gives me a quick kiss on the cheek, then one to my sister.

"Hope you get the job!" I call after her.

I doubted it. The boss would take one look at her criminal records, and points to the door.

After waving goodbye one last time, Scarlett and I go back into the kitchen to eat breakfast, discovering that Spencer already beat us to it.

"Where did mom go?" he asks around a bite of toast.

"Job interview," Scarlett answers for me.

We carry on a conversation as we eat, but my mind keeps wandering back to the dream I had last night. I know it meant _something_. Hopefully, she isn't in danger or anything.

"...Sterling! Wake up! Your daydreaming again!" I hear Scarlett's voice break into my thoughts.

"What?" I ask, a bit dazed.

She makes a face. "Never mind. I'm not gonna repeat it," she says, then turns back to Spencer.

I sigh and dump my dishes in the sink, then run up the stairs to my room.

I get dressed and grab my keys. I have to go to Morrgie's. Something's pulling me there like an electrical force.

I tell Scarlett and Spencer where I'm going, then go to my car.

When I reach her house for the second time this weekend, I get a sick feeling in my gut like something's wrong, and it just keeps getting stronger as I climb the steps to he door.

Right before I prepare to ring the doorbell (and think I'm about to throw up), I hear screaming.

I gasp and burst in, then what I see petrifies me with horror and fear.

Morrgie is on the floor, some huge dude standing over her with his fist held high. She cringes and he brings it down hard on her right shoulder, making her scream.

"No more!" she sobs.

He pulls her up roughly, pressing her against the wall, and whispers something I can't make out in her ear. He brings his hand to her throat and pushes her farther up the wall. She gives a short gasp and stands on her tip-toes, clutching his arm. He squeezes her neck tighter and lifts her off the ground, making her close her eyes briefly.

Then, she catches my eye and, with pleading in her eyes, mouths urgently: "Help me!"

He then drops her to the floor, where she lays motionless.

I shake myself out of my horror-stricken trance, and charge. "You killed her!" I rage, feeling like the air has been knocked out of me. I slam all my weight against his chest, pushing him to the wall (which is quite difficult, considering the size of him).

He's taken by suprise at first, but recovers fast, bringing his huge fist to meet my stomach hard. I groan and double over, only having time to knee him between the legs.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spot a knife lying on the kitchen counter. I lunge toward it, but he sees me and grabs my leg, yanking it hard.

I cry out as my leg pops out of its socket. It stalls me for a moment, but I go for the knife again, this time successful.

Pulling myself up, I spring at him. The knife lands deep in his lower shoulder, and he falls to the floor , writhing in pain.

I watch him, but my knees buckle and I fall heavily to knees.

_Morrgie._

I crawl to the wall where she lays.

"Morrgie?" I whisper hoarsely. I pull her gently into my lap, lovingly stoking her hair. She _can't_ be dead. I need her too much. An overwhelming sense of loneliness fills me, and tears come to my eyes. Soon, their spilling out and over my cheeks. One splashes down onto Morrgie's pale and bruised cheek.

Then, suddenly, her eyes flicker open and she mouths my name. Hope floods through me and I softly caress her cheek.

"Morrgie! Are you okay?" I ask quietly. "I-cough-think so."

I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Are you?" she asks, trying to prop herself up on her elbow.

I smile. "I am...but I'm afraid _he's _not," I reply, pointing to the man still laying on the floor behind me.

Morrgie rolls her eyes and smiles at me gratefully. "That's good."

We sit awkwardly for a few moments then, Morrgie places her hand on my shoulder, breaking the silence. "I'm sorry about last night...I was just mad. Sterling, I-I really _do _like you."

I look deep into her beautiful brown eyes, searching.

Then, we both slowly lean in.

Yes!

As out lips touch once again, I feel excitement buzz through my body and fireworks explode.

MORRGIE'S POV

I shift closer to him, forgetting about the pain in my throat and the rest of my body. We move our lips together, and I rest my hands on his jaw.

So this is what it feels like to kiss him freely...

I've never realized that I was in love with him until he walked through my door as Spike was choking me. Then, well, I felt something change inside of me change inside of me.

Getting carried away with the kiss, Sterling pushes his lips harder into mine, and gently places his hand on my broken shoulder. I whimper, pulling away.

He looks disappointed, then seems to understand.

"He hurt your shoulder, didn't he?" he whispers, still inches from my mouth. I nod painfully, not wanting to break this moment.

"How bad do you think it is?" he continues, holding my chin.

Darn, the moment's over.

"He might've broken it," I answer, gingerly rubbing it.

It feels strange to talk. I sound like Cruella De Vil with a sore throat...

His eyes widen, and he pulls down my shirt sleeve to take a look at it.

It's covered in bruises from where Spike hit me multiple times.

I tangle my hand in his hair, silently observing him.

His intent ocean blue eyes are set in a perfectly soft face, with slightly defined features.

He sighs and leans back. "Let's go to my house, kay? You can stay there tonight," he suggests.

I nod and he proceeds to pick me up bridal-style. Although he does it gently, it hurts and I inhale sharply, taking a handful of Sterling's white T-shirt in my fist.

He frowns apologetically. "Sorry," he whispers. I shake my head, my eyes closed tightly. "I'm fine."

"Your a tough girl," he says tenderly, shaking his head unbelieving.

Oh, boy...if he only knew...

He limps over to the door, looking back once more at unconscious Spike. then, we continue out the door and down the front steps.

Down in his car, he gently puts me down in the front seat, then goes around to the other side and painfully gets in. He starts the car, then reaches over and touches  
my arm.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asks, his voice choked.

I sigh and lean back in my seat. "I tried," I reply softly.

Sterling clears his throat. "Maybe you didn't try hard enough."

I close my eyes. "Maybe I didn't...but I was also afraid of what you would say."

His hand slides off my arm. "What? I would _never_ say anything to hurt you! Ever!" Then, he kisses me to prove it.

Tears come to my eyes. My feelings are _really _delicate right now.

Sterling pulls me close and I bury my face in his shirt, sobbing. He kisses my neck, calming me.

My sobs slow, and he leaves one last tender kiss on my lips. I sit back with one more sob, exhausted.

All the way to Sterling's house, I fight the urge to fall asleep, because I know that if I do, I'll have a fresh nightmare of Spike. That's just another secret I'm not ready to tell...

_STERLING'S POV

I walk slowly, stealthily, up the stairs, a very tired Morrgie trailing close behind and gripping my hand.

I don't want Scarlett or Spencer seeing us. Morrgie needs rest, not an interview.

On the last step, she stumbles, signaling just how weak and tired she is. I catch her and carry her the rest of the way to my room.

Every step I take, pain shoots through my dislocated leg, and I cringe.

Finally, in my room, I gently lay her down on my bed and squeeze her hand. Then, she closes her eyes, soon drifting off.

I fall down on my couch and soon, I, too am sleeping.

**Daw! I 3 him :D**


	4. Can You Reach Me?

**Okay now after all those chapters, I have decided to tell you something. Morrgie's name (morrigian) means Queen of nightmares. Who knew, right? (see what I did there? teehee)**

**Anyway, look at me rambling on..R&R please!**

Chapter 4 Can You Reach Me?

MORRGIE'S POV

_He had been drinking. I can smell it on his breath._

_For some reason, he's mad at me-again._

_He staggers into my room, and spots me sitting on my bed._

_He yells, raises his hand to slap my cheek, and I sob as his big hand meets it._

_He pushes me down hard and hits me again and again and again..._

I scream, waking up again in a cold sweat, and sore all over. I sob and rub my aching body.

I feel so lost and in the dark. I hate these dreams; they drain me of all energy before I can get through the day. Sometimes I can barely _make_ it through the day.

I had slept in Sterling's bed that night, and her had slept on his couch.

To tell you the truth, I didn't really sleep well last night, trying hard not to dream, and now I'm _really_ exhausted.

I look around the room, glad that Sterling isn't in here, and hadn't heard me scream.

I drop painfully back onto the pillow, just as Sterling comes into wake me up.

"Morning!" he says, cringing as he limps into the room. I smile despite myself. "Good morning. How's your leg?" My voice is raspy from my scream and the incident last night.

He shrugs. "Better."

I examine his perfect eyes carefully for signs that he had heard me. I find none.

He sits down on the edge of the bed. "You feeling up to going to school today?" he asks. "Your friends are gonna want to see you."

Man, his eyes are _so _blue-almost to the point of hypnotizing me. I shake myself out of my trance.

"Well, I didn't really sleep that well," I whisper.

He makes a face. "Aw. I don't really feel like going either, but I have to, and I don't want to leave you here in an unfamiliar place by yourself. Plus what your going through...," he says.

I sigh, seeing I have to go anyway. "Alright. I guess I don't have a choice, then."

He smiles. "I respect you. You can just keep going, all the time," he whispers fondly.

He brings his face closer to mine, intensely hovering inches from my lips. Anticipation fills me. I wait for our lips to connect, but he just stays there, locking eyes with me.

I grab his shirt, pulling him to me and giggling. Our lips smash together, and he holds my jaw in both hands, moving his lips against mine.

We pull back after a long time, and Sterling pats my leg. "Get ready for school; I'll make you some breakfast," he says standing. I nod with a weak smile.

After he'd gone, I twist a lock of my blonde and blue hair around my finger.

I _really _don't want to go to school.

STERLING'S POV

We're walking up BHH's steps, me waving to some guys I know, and Morrgie avoiding eye contact with every possible person. I wrap my arm around her to calm her nerves. She smiles gratefully. That smile melts my heart.

"Sterling!" Demi calls, running down the steps to meet us. She squeals when she sees Morrgie.

"Morrgie! You're back! We missed you _so _much," she gushes as she hugs her. Then, she notices that I wrap my arm around her shoulders as soon as they pull back.

"Are you two _finally_ together?" she asks, placing her hands on her hips. I nod proudly. She breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank-you, God!" she whispers, looking heavenward. I chuckle, as we continue up the stairs.

"Oh, Sterling! I was gonna tell you something. Beaver somehow got back into school early-and he's back for revenge on you," Demi says to me as we stop by our lockers. I look at her, a bit alarmed. "Put everybody on standby... I need to know when he gets here," I say quietly. She nods and walks to a group of girls to tell then what I said.

I turn to Morrgie and sigh. "I might have to fight Beaver today," I whisper in her ear. "No, Sterling, please," she protests, putting her hand on my chest. I long to kiss her. "I've seen-and felt-enough pain to last me a lifetime." I take her hand. "Don't worry, its fine, I'll be okay," I murmur.

Then, I feel eyes on us. I slowly look around me and see Selena and Demi grinning in our direction.

"What's wrong with you?" I ask, even though I know why their looking at us like children in a candy shop.

Selena smiles even bigger-if that's possible. "Finally! Congratulations!" she breathes. Then, they both turn around to "talk" to their friends, pretending they aren't watching us.

I roll my eyes and dip Morrgie, kissing her, to pacify the people around us.

When we pull back, I hear a chorus of "awww's". I sigh, slightly irritated. "Oh, come on, people! I think all of you have seen people kiss before. As you were!" I say. Everybody quickly goes back to what they had been doing before.

After Homeroom, I'm standing in the hall, and suddenly hear a walkie-talkie in my coat pocket say: "East hallway to Big Bird. Do you read?". I take it out and speak into it. "Big Bird to East Hallway. I read you." Static, then: "Objective has arrived. He's heading your way.".

I sigh. "Zac, don't call him that-this isn't a game..._Some of us_ might seriously get our butts whipped." I hear him stutter. "Oh, of course." A nervous chuckle. "Well, _Beaver_ is on his way now. _Really_ close from what I hear from Demi."

I look around me.

As if on cue, Justin saunters around the corner. Man, this boy is _con-ceit-ed_!

I play it cool. "Hey, Beaver...What's u-," I start to say. He walks right up to me and shoves me to the floor. "That, _Sandmann_, is for getting me out of school," he growls, fists clenched. I clench my own fists.

"Well, you know what?" I mutter through gritted teeth. "_This _is for just being a freakin' bully."

I run forward, but Morrgie jumps in front of me. I look past her, and see Selena holding Beaver back as well.

"Justin, we're done!" Selena screams at Beaver. "I've _had _it!" "Hallelujah!" I whisper. She glares over her shoulder at me.

Ooh. She _heard_ that?

"Sterling! Listen to me!" Morrgie says to me, directing my attention to her. "Don't fight him! If you do, you could get in big trouble." I lower my fist. I guess I _could_ take care of him later.

I take a couple steps backward. "I'll deal with you _later_, Beaver," I hiss. My eyes narrow into little slits as I continue to back up.

MORRGIE'S POV

After _that_ fiasco, in math, I find it hard to stay awake and focus on what the teacher is saying. My shoulder is throbbing badly, which makes this class even more unbearable than it already is. The white board swims in front of me and Mrs. Robinson's voice dulls to a buzz as I begin to pass out.

No! I need to stay awake! I look back up at Mrs. R. and try to focus. But soon, the soft drone of her voice dulls, and everything gets fuzzy again. I feel my head drop to my desk.

_He hits me again._

_"Hit her again, and I'll punch your lights out!" I hear Sterling's voice say._

_I look up, and feel blood spilling out of a cut in my forehead._

_Sterling looks at me with a smile that says: "I'll help you, I promise."._

_Spike springs at him, knocking him to the floor._

_He hits him unmercifully for the next few minutes, Sterling trying to dodge every punch of Spike's huge fist._

_Finally, he stops._

_But Sterling doesn't get up. He just lies motionless and bleeding on the floor._

_He's dead._

_"Nooo!" I scream, falling down onto the carpet. I catch a glimpse of a puddle of blood. My blood_.

_The light seem to go out, and I don't feel anything else-and never will again._

STERLING'S POV

I look over at Morrgie briefly during math class, and discover that her head is resting on her desk, and her arms are limply draped above her head.

Oh, no! She fell asleep!

I chew on my lower lip, desperately trying to think of some way to wake her up.

Then, I hear her scream: "Nooo!", and I jump. The classroom is completely silent, all eyes on Morrgie.

Her head pops up, her breathing fast and labored.

Its quiet for a few seconds.

"Awww. Poor thing! She had a nightmare! Does she need mommy to come to hug you?" comes Beaver's mocking, sarcastic voice from the back.

Anger fills me. "Shut up, Beaver!" I shoot back over my shoulder.

Morrgie chokes back a sob and runs into the hall as giggles go around the room.

She's just _so _fragile right now.

I raise my hand slowly.

"Yes, Sterling?" Mrs. R. asks sadly.

"May I go out and talk to her for a moment?"

She seems to hesitate, then gives in. "Yes, of course."

I smile and run out after her.

I find Morrgie sitting against the wall, knees drawn up, sobs racking her whole body. I run to her and wrap my arms around her, pulling her close. She turns and cries into my chest.

After her tears slow, I bring her to arm's length, and wipe a tear from her cheek. I'm silent, waiting for her to speak.

"I have those all the time. That's why I'm always afraid to fall asleep in front of you-I didn't want you to know," she whispers, hiccuping.

"Why not?" I ask, rubbing her soft cheek with the back of my hand.

"I was embarrassed."

I tut and sigh sadly, deciding to move on.

"What was it about?"

"What?"

"Your dream."

Fear creeps into her eyes.

"Uncle Spike-you know the man that was abusing me?"

I nod quietly, but inside I'm thinking: _He's her uncle? That son of a..._

She continues, sparing me from thinking any farther. "Well, he was hitting me again, and then you showed up. Your smile promised you'd save me, but..." She trails off.

"But what?" I ask breathlessly.

"He killed you," she says, her voice not much above a whisper. "And me too."

She's crying again, so I pull her close and rub her back. "That's not going to happen, I _promise_."

MORRGIE'S POV

Then, the bell rings, and high schoolers come out of doors everywhere. We both stand, but its still hard to hold the tears back.

Demi, Selena, and Zac run walk up. "We heard all about what happened from Brandon...Beaver's a jerk; I don't know how I ever loved him," says Selena.

I hide behind Sterling and try to avoid eye contact.

Great, now the whole school knows.

"She's rather touchy right now," Sterling whispers. I clutch his arm like a little child scared of a clown.

Selena nods understandingly.

Thank _goodness_ school's almost over! I have only one class left, but its with Justin Beiber...

Then, I can go to Sterling's house and hide from the world until the next day.

In class, I am more and more self-conscious about eyes on me. Its hard to focus on my book, especially since its History. Bleh.

The next hour and a half passes by _really _slowly, but finally the bell rings and I slip out of class and into the crowded hall to wait for Sterling.

"Hey! Dreamer!"

Justin. I try to ignore him-but he keeps yelling out names like I'm some dog he's trying to title.

"Get lost, butt breath," I hiss. I've had enough of him. "Ooh," Justin mocks. "I'm _sooo_ scared!" I look around for Sterling. Where the heck _is_ he?

"Yeah, we're _soooooooo _scared," Taylor repeats, dragging out the "so" too long.

Well, he's soooooooo stupid.

Justin glares at him. "Oh, don't be lookin' for _Sandmann_. He's already been taken care of," he says with an evil smile. Shivers run up and down my spine. What did they do to him?

"What did you do to him?" I demand out loud, my voice hoarse. He grins slyly.

I suddenly realize that the hall is empty and deathly silent. Everybody has gone home.

I hear heavy footsteps behind me and I whirl around. A big black guy (I'm guessing he's one of Justin's bod gaurds) walks up and grabs my waist, covering my mouth so I can't scream and alert the teachers. He takes me out the back door.

I give a muffled scream when I see what's on the other side of that door...

**Another cliffy! Always makes me happy! Tell me what you think!**


	5. Fixing a Heart

**Okay! Here you go! R&R!**

Chapter 5 Fixing a Heart

STERLING'S POV

I struggle to break free from two huge black guys. Their not quite as big as Morrgie's Uncle Spike, but almost.

Okay, so here's what happened:

I was walking, trying to find Morrgie, when Beaver and the two guys who are holding me right now, jumped out.

"Get him," he told the two guys.

Next thing I knew, I was in a headlock, fighting his large hands.

"It'll hurt more if you struggle, Sandmann," Beaver said, smiling.

I stopped panicking briefly to catch my breath. The big guy put me down, and gripped my wrist. The other one grabbed the other one, and chuckled.

Beaver told them to keep me there, then turned. "Oh, and Sandmann, I _could_ make this hurt a lot worse than a sprained wrist," he said before disappearing back inside.

The guy on my left side squeezed my wrist hard, and I moaned as he squeezed it gradually harder.

Now, he's squeezing it so hard, I can't move my fingers. I groan and twist my arm, only resulting in a harder squeeze. I groan loudly this time, closing my eyes.

Then, the door opens and slams shut. I open my eyes, and see Morrgie, held by an identical black dude, let out a muffled scream.

She twists out of his grasp, and runs to me. "Sterling! Are you okay? Did they hurt you? You look like you're in pain," she rambles worriedly.

I look deep into her eyes. "I'm alright. Its just this...doof is holding my wrist just a little too tight. Are you?" I ask through gritted teeth.

She brushes some of my ruffled, sweaty hair away from my eyes, chewing her soft-as-rose-petal lip. "I'm okay," she voices. I glare at the dudes that are holding me.

"Would you _mind_ letting me go, now? I have to get home," I ask, trying to ignore the constant pain right above my hand.

They look at each other, then release me.

I sigh, rubbing my the reddened spot his hand had made. "Come on, Morrgie," I whisper, taking her hand.

We walk briskly around the school, and reach the limo, where Heinrich awaits.

"Something really_ must_ be done about that boy," he says in his British accent once we told him the story of why we're late.

Then, he tuts and looks back at the road.

A long pause.

"Where are you going to live after this?" I ask quietly, randomly afraid to look in her eyes. She sighs, then shrugs. "I have no idea." She chews on her lower lip again, thoughtfully.

"You can stay at my house-for as long as my mom will let you," I offer. She smiles a little. "Thank-you. Your mom is awesome." I chuckle. "Yeah, I know."

I love this girl _so_ much. She's so strong-at least she _acts_ strong...

STERLING'S POV

We sit up in Sterling's room, later that evening, doing (or, rather _attempting_) our homework

Well, at least Sterling is. I'm sitting here, worrying about how I'm going to get an apartment. I mean, I can't stay at Sterling's house forever, and _certainly_ can't go back to Spike's.

"Sterling?" I ask quietly. He looks up at me. "What's up?" I sigh. "I need an apartment."

He nods. "Yeah, that would help your matters...Maybe we could go look for one this week," he says. I nod eagerly. "I don't want to take advantage of this."

"Hey, its okay. You can stay here for as long as you need to-my mom said," Sterling says.

I smile, then look back down at my homework.

"You know, I should take you out," Sterling says after a while. My eyes light up and I nod. "Its a date, then. How about tomorrow night?" I smile. "That's perfect."

"We can talk about plans for your birthday, its in two weeks, isn't it?" he says excitedly.

My face falls. My mother always had planned my parties, and surprise me with the end result the day of the party.

This is the first year she won't be here for it.

"_Morrgie, what do you want your birthday party theme to be?" my mom asks in her soft, tender voice that I miss so much._

_I think for a moment._

"_Dance party," I answer, finally deciding._

_She smiles._

"_I guess I should have expected that from a girl who's turning sixteen," she says, the laugh lines around her eyes showing._

That had been last year's party, and turned out to be the best birthday party I have ever had. And she'll never get to do it again.

I'm not sure if I'm ready for somebody other than my mom to plan my birthday party for me-or to do it even myself.

"Morrgie! Are you okay?" Sterling asks, frantically waving his hand in front of my face. I shake my head, bringing myself back. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just...," I trail off, not trusting myself to finish the sentence.

"Thinking about...your parents?" he ask cautiously.

Wow. He's a good guesser.

"Yeah...My mom used to do my parties for me, then surprise me on my birthday of how she did it," I explain, tears coming to my eyes. "Hey, its okay," he whispers, pulling me into his arms for a hug.

He says I'm strong. But I know better-I just hide it too well. There are times I break down, though.

And now's one of those times. I choke and sob into his heavenly-smelling shirt. I guess its good to get some of it out.

He pulls me into his lap, and I hiccup and shed more tears.

"Tell you what," Sterling says after I quit crying. "How about we don't talk about this anymore. If you don't want a party, then we won't have one, okay?" I nod against his chest, sniffling.

STERLING'S POV

We both smile at each other, then she wiggles out of my lap back down to the homework that our teachers so graciously gave us.

I wish she'd stay there...

I pretend to be doing mine, when I'm actually watching her carefully out of the corner of my eye.

And about the "no party" business-I can't believe she fell for it. Of _course_ I'm going to give her a birthday party! And I know _exactly_ what theme its going to be-Dance.

The next night, I'm standing in front of my mirror, looking at myself. I'm in a baby blue button-up that's sleeves are rolled up to my elbows (Scarlett says that it brings out my eyes, that's the reason I'm wearing it. Maybe she really _is_ my outfit planner...), and khaki pants.

Tonight is the night I get to go on my first date with Morrgie.

I spray some of my Axe on my clothes, and take a nervous breath. "Here we go," I whisper to myself.

Morrgie is borrowing some of Scarlett's clothes, since she left all of her stuff at Uncle Spike's house. Its weird that their almost the same size and _want_ to share each other's clothes.

I walk down the stairs to the hallway to my waiting date, and I'm paralyzed as soon as I see her.

She's-well-gorgeous. She's wearing a light pink strapless dress with a red bow on the left shoulder, and a darker pink sweater covering her arms. She has a matching bow in her hair, which is curly and the ends freshly died blue. She makes me feel under-dressed.

"You-wow," I mumble when I finally find my voice. "You're beautiful." She smiles shyly.

Dang, she's adorable.

"Thank-you. You look really nice, as well," she says, her voice soft. Yay! I get a nice!

I step forward and I offer my arm. "You ready?" I ask her, "As ready as I'll ever be," she whispers nervously, slipping her arm through mine.

I escort her to the limo and open the door for her signaling for her to enter first.

Before she climbs in, she kisses me tenderly on the lips. She pulls back quietly, and I smile.

I get in after her and shut the door.

My plan for tonight is dinner, then I'll take her to a small dance club. Its all slow dancing tonight, which will be romantic.

She slips her fingers fondly through mine, and static shoots up my arm. "I am the luckiest guy on earth to have you, Morrgie," I say. She smiles silently. "I'm the luckiest _girl_ on earth."

MORRGIE'S POV

"So, what are we doing tonight?" I ask Sterling as we continue down the road. He smiles. "Olive Garden, then a secret," he replies mysteriously.

I moan. "I hate secrets," I complain. He rolls his eyes. "You're one of _those _people?" he asks good-naturally. "I'm not telling you what it is."

I think he seriously finds joy in torturing me...

Its quiet for a moment.

"I'll give you a kiss," I offer, hoping he'll give in. "As _tempting_ as that sounds-I'm still gonna have to say no," he declines. I pout. "Well, I'll just kiss you anyways," whisper, moving closer to him.

Then, I plant a kiss on his lips. I plan for it to be a short and sweet kiss, but Sterling pulls me closer by the back of my neck, deepening it.

Our kiss lasts until we hear Heinrich tell us that we've arrived. I reluctantly pull my lips away from his as butterflies form in my stomach.

The last time I had those, was the night of the accident, on the way to Sterling's party.

Sterling gets out, and opens my door for me. I smile weakly, trying to push the memory to the back of my mind. I'm determined to have a good time tonight

Sterling laces his fingers with mine, and walks me into the Olive Garden door.

He goes to the front. "We have a reservation for Mr. Knight and Miss Hayes," he says to the Matre De, who nods in a bored way and leads the way to our table.

As we sit down across from each other, Sterling picks up his menu and starts scanning it. The waiter comes and I order a Coke, and Sterling gets a Pepsi.

I reach out and slowly pull it down to see his gorgeous eyes.

STERLING'S POV

As she pulls down my menu, I see her wrist peeking out beneath her sleeve. Its covered in scars. Alarm fills me. What did Spike _do_ to her?

I'm about to say something, but then Morrgie speaks.

"What do you think I should get?" she asks, pulling her sleeve down again. I choose to ignore what I saw.

"Hmmm...the Five-Cheese-Ziti is really good," I say. Morrgie licks her lips. "Sounds good. I think I'll get that," she says.

When the waiter comes around again, I order two Five-Cheese-Ziti's, then sit back and observe Morrgie's face. She doesn't look happy. She looks sad.

I lean forward and touch her hand. "You okay?" I ask tenderly. She looks at me and smiles. "Yeah. I'm fine," she replies, running a hand through her hair.

Her beautiful blonde hair.

My eyes wander from her hair back to her eyes.

Her gorgeous amber eyes.

Stop it, Sterling! Quit being distracted!

I shake my head, bringing myself back to the task at hand.

"So-are you gonna give me any hints as to what the secret is?" she asks. Man, she's right, she really _does_ hate secrets. I shake my head. "Nope. Its a surprise," I reply wisely.

She sighs and sits back in her chair, and I smile at how cute she is when she's frustrated.

"What are you smiling at?" she questions, eying me. I blush horribly, taking her hand. "Just thinking about how adorable you are, and that I have _so _much more to learn about my girlfriend," I say quietly. "Girlfriend?" Morrgie repeats. "Yeah, I guess that's what you would call us-I mean we _are_ on our first date, and we _have_ kissed-so I guess that makes us boyfriend and girlfriend," I explain. She nods happily. "Yeah, I guess so."

Our food finally arrives and the next few minutes are spent in silence as we enjoy our pasta.

"You like it?" I ask, I fork poised between my plate and my mouth. She nods enthusiastically, doing a thumbs-up sign with her left hand. "Its delicious."

I grin a lopsided grin, and concentrate back on my food.

MORRGIE'S POV

We have a yummy desert, and then Sterling pays.

"Are we going to do whatever the "surprise" is now?" I ask anxiously, clutching his arm tightly as we walk back out to the waiting limousine. He grins. "Yes, _now_ we are," he laughs. I sigh happily.

I act like a little child when it comes to secrets and surprises.

Especially since I keep saying "are we there yet?" every five seconds the whole way there.

"Nope," is his steady answer.

He's so patient! If I were him I would be yelling right now from annoyance...

I'd kill to get this stupid blindfold off my face.

Finally, after what seems like _hours_, Sterling whispers in my ear, his warm breath hot on my cheek: "We're here, miss impatient."

I tear of the hated blindfold and look out the tinted window.

A building with bright, neon lights flashing meets my eyes, temporarily blinding me after being in the dark for a while.

The name of the building then catches my eye. _The Rocker_.

"A club?" I ask, a little disappointed.

Sterling nods with a smile.

"But just wait until we get inside-I have another surprise for you," he says, opening his door.

I wait for Sterling to come to my side and open the door for me, then I step out.

We go in together, him covering me eyes. We walk a bit farther into the room, then I hear the door shut behind us.

Sterling pulls his hand away from my eyes, and I look around, gasping.

Candles are lit everywhere, and a soft song (instead of loud music) is playing. A few couples are swaying to the music, ignoring us.

Sterling grabs my hand and takes me onto the dance floor.

He wraps his arms around my waist, I wrap mine around his neck, and we start to dance.

This isn't at all what I was expecting the inside of a club to be like, and I'm glad it isn't.

"Thank-you for tonight," I whisper. For some reason, it feels appropriate to whisper-like the library.

Sterling smiles. "Glad I made you happy," he whispers back. I love his voice even _more _when he whispers.

"You did more than that," I continue. "You brought some of who I was before out of me." He caresses my cheek with the back of his hand. "I was just noticing that."

We slowly stop dancing and stand, staring at each other's eyes for a few moments.

Then, her leans forward to kiss me, and I kiss back.

STERLING'S POV

The date is over _way _too soon, and now we're on our way back to my house.

I need to talk to my mom tonight. She's probably already there... She had another job interview today.

When we reach the guest room, Morrgie says: "Thank-you, Sterling.". She wraps her arms around my neck, playing with my hair. "That was amazing." She kisses me. "I think I'll get ready for bed-I'm worn out."

"Sure, goodnight, Morg," I tell her before disappearing down the stairs.

I walk to the kitchen, still in my date clothes, and find my mom already there. She look really tired tonight. Her blonde hair, slightly darker than mine, is draped over one shoulder and a little tousled. And little wrinkles under her eyes and around her chin are more defined.

"Hey, mom," I say, trying to be as casual as possible. She smiles, and takes a sip of her hot tea. "Hi, baby."

Definitely tired, but in a good mood. Now's my chance.

"I need to talk to you about something," I say. She folds her arms over the table and gives me her full attention. I take a deep breath.

"Its Morrgie birthday in two weeks-and, well-I was wondering if you could do a surprise party for her here. I'll help, of course," I blurt out, shutting my eyes my eyes, expecting a no.

"What theme do you have in mind?" she asks, not blinking an eye. "I need _something_ to do-I still don't have a job."

I let out the breath I've been holding.

"Thank-you, mom! This is gonna mean a lot to Morrgie," I say. "The theme I was thinking about is dance." She nods and scribbles down some notes.

"She will _love_ this party!" she says excitedly.

MORRIGE'S POV

Right before I go to bed, I pop an Abien, and pretty soon, I'm out cold.

_Another cut to my heart._

_Another cut to my wrist._

_Blood seeps out._

_Tears shed._

_I sit for a few minutes, watching myself bleed._

_Then, I wash my cuts, put a band-aid on my heart, and walk out of the bathroom, pretending nothing happened._

I wake up with a start and look over at the clock. Only a half hour from when I went I sleep.

I throw the covers off and pull on my jeans. I need a walk. Going over to the window, I discover its pouring down rain. Weather that matches my mood. Awesome.

I sneak downstairs and go out one of the many doors. I shuffle out to the sidewalk, consumed in my thoughts.

In just a few minutes, I'm drenched.

Tears come to my eyes. Why were _my_ parents chosen to die? I just don't understand. Its not fair. I sniff and choke back a sob.

Then, a song starts playing in head.

I just ran out of band-aids

I don't even know where to start

Cause you can bandage the damage

You never really can fix a heart

You never really can fix my heart

I kick a rock and watch it splash into a puddle. Its true. My heart is forever scarred. Nobody can ever fix it.

STERLING'S POV

I wake up on Wednesday morning, and look out my window. Its still cloudy and drizzling from last night. Ugh, nasty weather.

I get out of bed and stretch.

I hate mornings. Always have, always will.

I get dressed into my school uniform and go downstairs.

To my surprise, I find Morrgie already there.

"Couldn't sleep," she states simply, grabbing her freshly toasted slice of bread out of the toaster.

I nod understandingly and get a slice of bread for myself.

She seems tense, like she's trying to hide something. I feel like cheering her up on such a dreary day. I walk up behind her, and wrap my arms around her shoulders, kissing her neck several times. She giggles, then leans back against my chest.

We stay like this with our eyes closed for a while, then I quickly let her go when I hear Scarlett clear her throat behind us.

I whirl around with a nervous smile. "Oh, hey, Scarlett," I say, rubbing the back of my neck.

Well, this isn't awkward _at all_...

"Cut the crap, Sterling," she says in a hostile way. Then, says sweetly: "That was adorable!"

My sister is weird...

My arms fall helplessly to my sides. It times like this when I hate her guts.

"Whatever," I mumble, grabbing my toast.

She rolls her eyes and goes over to Morrgie. They begin a conversation of some sort, but I'm not listening.

My eyes wander to a familiar figure coming up to the front door.

The blood freezes in my veins.

**And yet, ANOTHER cliffy :) have fun with this one...**


End file.
